2026 MLB First-Half Recap: San Francisco Giants

The Pitching

The Good

If there was one positive from the first half for the Giants, it was that the offense, at times, looked like a juggernaut.

From May 1 through the break, no player had more extra-base hits than Rafael Devers. Devers slashed .270/.353/.574 (.926 OPS) with 39 extra-base hits, 17 of which were home runs. While not all has been well at times between both Devers and the Giants at times, he’s certainly been productive.

Aside from Devers, the Giants saw Jung Hoo Lee and Bryce Eldridge perform very well. Lee was tied for the 29th-most hits (67) from May 1 through the break, part of a stretch where he slashed .305/.328/.423. Eldridge, a former first-round pick and rookie, cracked eight home runs and 21 extra-base hits in that stretch. Certainly, he’s established himself as a regular.

However, perhaps the best story over that span was utilityman Casey Schmitt, who came up three years ago for the first time but didn’t stick as a regular for long. But Schmitt has in 2026. Schmitt hit 15 home runs over the last two and a half months.

Yes, both Schmitt and Lee have to hit their way on base, as the two had the second- and third-lowest BB% rates from May 1 through July 13, respectively. However, it is hard to knock the results.

And then there’s Luis Arraez, who, aside from being one of the best contact hitters, is now one of the best defensive second basemen in the game.

As for the rotation, the top two have been very steady. Logan Webb, since the start of June, has posted a 2.81 ERA and, as expected, a lot of groundballs. As for Robbie Ray, the lefty danced around walks (21 over 44 IP) to post the fifth-best ERA (1.84) since June (min. 30 IP).

The 34-year-old is trying some new tricks, something very noticeable when looking at his strikeout numbers. Normally, a big swing-and-miss pitcher, Ray went back to using the two-seamer that he began to use more in 2022 with the Mariners.

The Bad

Without Randy Rodriguez, the Giants needed to experiment during the late innings. Ryan Walker, once the closer in San Francisco, had issues with walks, and that showed up significantly in his results. An ERA north of 7.00, plus one of the worst opponents’ wOBA figures in the league.

The Giants’ pitching issues have ended with the bullpen. Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, both of whom were signed to fill out the rotation this past winter, have flirted with ERAs around 5.00.

Back to the offense, the Giants received mixed results from Matt Chapman. Chapman slashed .235/.324/.368 over the first half, which ended early thanks to injury.

Looking Ahead

The Giants entered the break 10.5 games out of a playoff spot. Very likely, San Francisco won’t have a shot at making the playoffs, barring an unforeseen shift in the race. But what exactly will the Giants do?

Selling players like Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray, both of whom will be free agents after 2026, would make sense. But could the cuts be even deeper?